HNC/HND Administration and Information Technology

The HNC and HND in Administration and Information Technology offer a number of benefits to candidates:

• they provide skills, knowledge and capabilities needed for employment
• progression to higher education
• they can enhance career prospects
• teaching and assessment can be aligned to the candidate’s workplace
• achievement is certified and nationally recognised

The HNC and HND Administration and Information Technology are appropriate for candidates who have an interest in a career in administration at any level. The HND in Administration and Information Technology develops further the skills and knowledge necessary for candidates who seek positions of greater responsibility within the administration function and/or further academic study. Candidates are likely to come from the following target groups:

• school leavers
• adult returners to education
• those in employment who wish to enhance their career prospects

Access will be at the discretion of the centre. Examples of appropriate formal entry qualifications are:

Access to the HNC/D in Administration and IT is at the discretion of the centre and the following recommendations are for guidance only. This list is not exhaustive, or mutually exclusive, but gives examples of appropriate formal entry qualifications. The overriding criterion to be satisfied is that the applicant has a realistic chance of achieving the qualification within the programme model delivered by the centre.

• Any relevant National Qualifications Group Award at SCQF level 5 or 6.
• Any two relevant National Courses at SCQF level 6, together with three Standard Grade passes at level 3 or above.
• Relevant National Units at appropriate levels (eg achievement of the Core Skills entry profile).
• SVQ Business and Administration level 2 or 3.
• Equivalent qualifications from other awarding bodies.

Access to the HND

In order to achieve the HND Administration and Information Technology candidates must gain a total of 30 HN credits from the appropriate parts of the qualification structure. Progression from HNC to HND typically varies between a requirement to have a minimum of between 12 and 15 credits, usually including all of the HNC Administration and Information Technology mandatory Units.

Candidates could progress to:

• HND from HNC
• second year of a Business, Management or IT related degree from HND
• employment in an administrative/senior administrative role

Centres with devolved authority are eligible to seek approval through their own internal approval process.

Centres without devolved authority will have to come forward for approval and should contact the Business Development Team for guidance in completing the combined CA1/SA1 form.

Assessors and verifiers must be able to meet SQA’s general requirements for technical/occupational competence.

Specific approvals requirements

Centres should keep up to date with legislation and current practice.

Centres require ICT facilities for the delivery of the following Units:

• Word Processing and Presentation Applications — F84C 34
• IT in Business: Spreadsheets — F84V 34
• IT in Business: Databases — F84X 34
• Office Technologies — F7J9 34
• Presentation Skills — F84E 35
• IT in Business: Advanced Databases — F848 35
• IT in Business: Advanced Word Processing — F84A 35
• IT in Business: Advanced Spreadsheets — F849 35
• ICT in Business — F84W 35

The choice of delivery pattern is at the discretion of the centre. Centres should ensure that as much of the mandatory content required for the Graded Units has been covered as possible prior to commencing delivery.

The Graded Units are:

• Administration and Information Technology: Graded Unit 1 (F8KW 34) (Closed-book examination at SCQF level 7)
• Administration and Information Technology: Graded Unit 2 (F8KX 35) (Closed-book examination at SCQF level 8)
• Administration and Information Technology: Graded Unit 3 (F8KY 35) (Project based on a case study at SCQF level 8)
• Assessment exemplars are available from SQA’s secure website.

HNC Administration and Information Technology

Group Award code: G9M7 15 (96 SCQF credit points) SCQF level: 7

Structure

The HNC in Administration and IT comprises nine mandatory Units (80 SCQF credit points) and some optional Units (16 SCQF credit points).

Mandatory Units

• IT in Business: Word Processing and Presentation Applications — F84C 34
• IT in Business: Spreadsheets — F84V 34
• IT in Business: Databases — F84X 34
• Office Administration — F7JA 34
• Office Technologies — F7J9 34
• Communication: Analysing and Presenting Complex Communication — DE3N 34
• Recording Financial Transactions — F847 33
• Personal Development Planning — DE3R 34
• Administration and Information Technology: Graded Unit 1 — F8KW 34

HND Administration and Information Technology

Group Award code: G9M8 16 (240 SCQF credit points)

SCQF level: 8 Structure The HND in Administration and IT comprises 18 mandatory Units (160 SCQF credit points) and some optional Units (80 SCQF credit points). Mandatory Units

• IT in Business: Word Processing and Presentation Applications — F84C 34
• IT in Business: Spreadsheets — F84V 34
• IT in Business: Databases — F84X 34
• Office Administration — F7JA 34
• Office Technologies — F7J9 34
• Communication: Analysing and Presenting Complex Communication — DE3N 34
• Recording Financial Transactions — F7JV 33
• Personal Development Planning — DE3R 34
• IT in Business: Advanced Word Processing —F84A 35
• IT in Business: Advanced Spreadsheets — F849 35
• IT in Business: Advanced Databases — F848 35
• Office Management — F84D 35
• Information and Communication Technology in Business — F84W 35
• Presentation Skills — F84E 35
• Administration and Information Technology Graded Unit 1 — F8KW 34
• Administration and Information Technology Graded Unit 2 — F8KX 35
• Administration and Information Technology Graded Unit 3 — F8KY 35

And one Unit from Group B:

• Developing the Individual Within a Team — F870 34
• Developing the Individual Within a Team — F86Y 35

OpenAssess (www.sqasolar.org.uk/openassess ) is a facility which enables the delivery of formative assessments to support learning within SQA Qualifications.  It is part of the SOLAR suite of applications that SQA use to deliver assessment across a range of qualifications.  We have released a limited number of formative assessments to support Business, Accounting and Administration and IT Higher National awards.  These cover topics such as Meeting skills, employee motivation techniques and Payroll. 

The full list of all assessments available through SOLAR, both formative and summative is available on the SOLAR website at  www.sqasolar.org.uk

SOLAR Formative Assessment
Additional Information	Assessment Title	Unit Title	Unit No	Topics covered
Topic-based formative questions. 10 questions	Employee Motivation	Various	Various	ALL
Topic-based formative questions. 10 questions	Meetings	Various	Various	ALL